Life of the Party
by LittleAmberAmethyst
Summary: An early/mid season one centered fic. Wendy and her friends are off to a party, one she insists Dipper and Mabel are too young to attend. Insulted, Dipper takes it upon himself to prove he's not a kid against Mabel's better judgment.


**So I wrote this over a year ago, but completely forgot about it until I went to clean out the files on my computer and came across it. This is just a working title, if anyone has any better suggestions, feel free to leave it in a comment/review.**

 **This story takes place in early/mid first season, sometime between "The Time Traveler's Pig" and "Boss Mabel" due to the fact Waddles is present.**

 **There are references to alcohol in this chapter and will continue to be a major theme in the overall story. Due to themes of alcohol use the story is rated K+, but there is a chance that can change to T as the story progresses.**

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The clock on the wall announced to the employees only fifteen more minutes until the shack closed. Dipper looked out at the last of the customers who approached the cashier with their last minute purchases. Wendy Corduroy rang up the overpriced merchandise with little enthusiasm.

Dipper smiled as he watched her work with that careless demeanor. Never before had he met a girl so cool and confident-someone who didn't follow the norms, but did what she wanted. What more, she didn't treat him like he didn't exist, or worse, like a cute little kid whose antics were "oh so adorable."

Preoccupied with staring he never noticed his sister sneak up on him. Mabel shouted causing her twin to yell in surprise. Dipper turned to see the female version of himself on the floor laughing, holding her belly. He heard soft chuckling from behind. His cheeks reddened at the realization that the noise caught the attention of his summer crush.

An arm reached behind to rub the back of his head. He awkwardly laughed along with the freckle-faced teenager.

The redhead turned her attention to the last customer. It was a boy not too much older than herself. His New England accent told the cashier that he wouldn't be staying in the Oregon town for much longer.

"You know, Miss..." he glanced down at the nametag on the girl's checkered shirt. "Wendy." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and blushed. "You have a cute laugh."

"Uh-oh," Mabel teased and continuously pressed her two index fingers into Dipper's arm. "Someone's tryin' to sneak in on your girlfriend."

"Mabel!" Dipper cried. He put a hand over her mouth then looked back at the subject of their conversation.

Wendy was still in conversation from the handsome out-of-towner. Dipper gripped the clipboard in his hand as he watched his crush laugh at the older teenager's words. Wendy leaned over the counter, supporting her weight on her arms, and stared into the boy's blue eyes.

The teenage boy picked up a pen and scribbled his number on Wendy's arm. She laughed at the tickling sensation from the tip of the pen. The customer clicked the end of the pen then handed it back to the lanky redhead.

"You know, if you're still here next year I might have to beg my parents to come back next summer," he said.

He winked at her as he headed for the exit. The teen hit his leg on the side of the door. He laughed then waved at the redhead. Wendy returned his wave then looked down at the number on her arm.

Fiddling with his fingers Dipper moved closer to the cashier. "So, um, he seemed friendly," the boy said unable to make eye contact.

"Maybe," Wendy said. "His family's heading back tonight, so it's not worth waiting a whole year for a summer fling." She picked up a damp cloth used to clean the counter and scrubbed the ink from her arm. Dipper let out a sigh of relief as the numbers smeared into an illegible cloud.

Soos hummed as he walked to the door. He turned the sign from the open to closed then picked up the broom to begin closing chores. Meanwhile Dipper and Mabel got an early start on stocking the shelves, while their great-uncle sat in the other room counting his profit from the last hour.

The door swung open. Wendy glared at the gift shop's entrance, ready to bark that they were closed, then lit up at the sight of her friends.

"Yo, Wendy!" Nate called. He rushed over and bumped fists with the cashier.

"Ready for the rockin' party?" Robbie asked as he leaned against the counter that separated him from Wendy. The boy was dressed from head to toe in black with his guitar slung over his shoulder.

Wendy vaulted the counter as her response. The others (save for Tambry who texted on her phone) cheered the girl's skill. Dipper's smile increased as he wondered how it was possible for someone to be that cool.

"Soos, you don't mind doing my part for me?" Wendy called over her shoulder. Before Soos could answer she added, "Thanks, you're a real pal."

Robbie threw an arm around the redhead. "What's that?" he asked pointing to the black smear on her arm.

Wendy scoffed. "Some loser trying to flirt." She pushed her sleeve down masking the mess on her arm.

"Lame," Robbie commented with a wave of his hand. He wiggled his eyebrows and said, "You need a real man."

Wendy laughed. She pushed against Robbie's chest, but he kept his arm around her shoulder. Wendy chuckled then planted a kiss on Robbie's cheek. The older boy smirked in Dipper's direction leaving a mix of anger and hurt rising in the younger's chest.

"A party?" Dipper asked.

The teenagers stared down at the twelve-year-old.

"Ooh! I wanna go!" Mabel said with a twirl. "I love parties! I have the record for most donuts chugged."

"Bring it on," Lee challenged.

"Oh, you're goin' down," Mabel replied.

"Krispy Kreme run!" Lee yelled with a pumped fist.

"I dunno," Robbie said with a smirk. "You kids are too little for this kind of party."

"Robbie's right," Wendy added. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your uncle."

"Uh, Grunkle Stan won't care," Dipper said rubbing his arm.

"As long as we're back before ten," Mabel added.

"Um...that's not what I mean," the redhead said with a fractured smile.

"The van's packed," Thompson said nervously as he poked his head through the halfway opened gift shop door. "I really hope we don't get stopped." The pudgy teenager wrung his hands. "My parents'll kill me if they find out I stole beer, let alone transported it."

"Dude, you're awesome," Wendy commented.

She lightly punched Thompson in the arm. Thompson winced at the strike and rubbed the area, yet managed to smile despite the anxiety swimming inside.

"Beer?" Mabel questioned. She glanced over at her brother then back to Wendy. "You're not old enough to drink."

"Mabel," Dipper hissed under his breath.

Robbie snickered and Wendy gave the two a smile. She patted Dipper atop his hat then followed Lee, Tambry, and Nate out the door.

Dipper watched from the doorway as the group piled into Thompson's van.

Robbie halted at the bottom step. He looked over his shoulder and smirked at the boy. "Later, kid," he taunted with a mocking wave. "Maybe next time we'll have a more kid friendly party."

"Robbie, cut it out," Wendy said with one foot on the van and the other in the dirt. As her boyfriend drew closer she added, "They're just kids, alright."

Despite her attempts to speak softly, the words still made it to Dipper's ears. He slammed the door then crossed his arms. Brown eyes landed on Mabel who lifted Waddles onto the counter while Soos swept the space the pig previously occupied.

"Can you believe it, Mabel? They think we're kids," Dipper grumbled.

"We are kids, Bro-bro," Mabel replied.

Dipper glared unamused. He stomped into the living room and plopped down on the recliner. Mabel sat on the skull next to him with Waddles at her feet.

"It's okay, Dipping Dot, one day we'll be invited to all the parties ever," she said trying to comfort her twin.

"It doesn't matter," Dipper said with a sigh. He placed his palm over his forehead. "Wendy still sees me as a little kid." He leaned back in the chair with both hands over his eyes.

Mabel chose not to indulge in a witty comment and instead asked, "What's so great about sneaking yucky beer anyway?" She stuck out her tongue and shook her head. "Remember that Christmas Grandpa spilled some and how gross it smelled." She pressed her face against Waddles' and spoke in a sweet voice to the pig, "It smelled so gross and yuck."

Dipper jumped up. "Mabel, that's it!" he cheered.

Before the girl could ask Dipper dashed into the kitchen.

The male twin opened the refrigerator door. He pushed through the stock of canned sodas their uncle purchased for them. Sure enough he found the secret compartment in the back where Stan hid the adult beverages. Mabel entered the kitchen just as Dipper pulled out a six pack.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mabel exclaimed. "Grunkle Stan will kill you."

"Not if he doesn't know," Dipper countered.

"Dipper, Grunkle Stan knows when a penny is missing from the drawer, of course he's going to notice this," Mabel argued.

"We can convince him he drank more than he thought," Dipper retorted. "It's just a few, and it's just for one night."

"No! No! Bad idea! Wrong answer!" Mabel cried.

"Relax, Mabel," Dipper explained. "I won't drink it, I'm just gonna take it to the party and then they'll realize how mature I am, and we won't be excluded ever again."

Mabel shook her head and reached for the cans.

Dipper pulled the beer out of her reach. He put his free hand on his hip. "You're always telling me to stop being a nerd." He looked down at the beer cans. "I'm taking your advice." After a deep breath he met eyes with his sister. "Are you coming, or not?"

"Dipper, please, this is a bad idea," Mabel pleaded.

"You're not going to tell Grunkle Stan, are you?" Dipper asked.

"Of course not," Mabel responded. She folded her hands. "Please, I wish you wouldn't."

"I won't do anything stupid, I promise," said Dipper.

Dipper turned from her and headed for the door.

Trapped in her promise Mabel could do nothing but watch.

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 **That's all for chapter one. I'm thinking this story might be three, possibly four chapters long. I hope you like it, let me know what you think. :)**


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